Charles cluthe



O. GLUTHE.

(No Model.)

TRUSS PAD.

No. 460,950. Patented Oct. 13,1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES CLUTHE, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

TRUSS-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 460,950, dated October13, 1891.

Application filed January 22, 1891. Serial No. 878,656. (No model.)Patented in Canada January 22, 1891, No. 55,770.

T0 all w/wm it maty concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES CLUTHE, manufacturer, of the city ofToronto, in the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in I-Iernia-Pads, of whichthe following is a specification.

Application has been made for this invention in the Dominion of Canadaunder date of January 22, 1891, Serial No. 55,770.

The object of the invention is to design a device applicable for hernia,which may be held permancntly in position, so as to retain the herniaany desired length of time without the aid of a bclt, spring, or othersimilar adjunct; and it consists, essentially, of a shallow cup ofsuitable material and interior form, which is placed in position overthe hernia, and is provided with an air-valve through which, when open,the air is exhausted from between the cup and 'the skin, but which isimmediately afterwards closed, so as to give a permanent suctorialproperty to the cup and thus retain it in position, as hereinafter moreparticularly explained.

Figure l is a perspective view of the outside of the cup. Fig. 2 is asection of the cup with eXhaust-bulb inserted in valve to withdraw theair. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail showing my preferred form ofvalve. Fig. 4 is a view of eXhaust-bulb. Figs. 5, G, and '7 are sectionsexhibiting alternative forms of cups.

In the drawings like letters indicate corresponding parts in eachfigure.

In all devices with which I am familiar it is found necessary to employa belt, spring, or other adj unct to hold the device or pad in positionagainst the hernia. This fact makes the wearing of the hernia device orpad generally uncomfortable. It is also very inconvenient not only toget on and off, but in other respects well known to the wearer.

As it is very desirable in cases of hernia to wear the pad continuously,it is with the object of producing a device which will in no mannerinterfere with the motions of the limbs and body and yet always remainfirmly in position that my invention is chiefly designed.

A is a shallow cup, which may be made of soft or hard rubber, celluloid,metal, or other suitable material or combinations of materials, or inany suitable form, as long as the outer surface of the cup is imperviousto air.

B is a lip formed around the inner edge of the cup, as shown.

C is an air-valve, which is composed of the hollow screwed plug' a, withhole b, washer c, with hole (Z, so that when the screwed plug av israised from its seat on the washer o a free passage-way is provided intothe interior of the cup.

D is a rubber eXhaust-bulb provided with a threaded nozzle e, designedto be screwed into the female thread in the plug a.

Then it is desired to place my device in position, I place the cup overthe hernia and press it until the lip B comes in perfect contact withthe skin all around. I then open the valve O by unscrewing the plug o.,so that there is a clear passage-way into the interior of the cup. Thenozzle eof the exhaust-bulb D, which is previously compressed, is nextinserted, and as the bulb D expands it withdraws the air from betweenthe interior of the cup and the skin, thereby creating sufficientsuction so as to cause the lip B to adhere firmly to the skin and thecentral portion or pad E of the cup to press firmly against the hernia.The plug a is now turned suficiently so as to bring its lowei` endagainst the washer c so as to close the hole (Z, and thus prevent anyair entering the cup. The eXhaust-bulb D may now be removed, and the cupwill remain securely in position.

In Fig. 2 I show a form in which the inside is made of porous spongerubber, and the outside of close non-porous rubber. The center portionor pad E is connected by a hollow spindle F, and hollow ball fandsocket, to the outer portion. A spring G is also provided to hold thepad in position. IrIoles are made in the ball f so as to provide a clearpassage-way g from the interior of the cup to the airvalve C. l-Ioles72, might be made through the central portion or, pad E. as indicated;but I think if the central portion be made of Sponge rubber, as in Figs.2 and 5, they might be dispensed with.

In Fig. 5 I show a form with a central portion E,for1ning part of theinterior of the cup.

In Fig. G I show another form made of hard rubber or metal, with thecentral portion or IOO pad E connected to the main portion by the springG. In this figure I show a ring of adhesive plaster, which might also beadapted to securely bring the lip B against the skin, so as to furtherinsnre the onter edge being air-tight. w

In Fig. 7 I show still another form, which is formed of a combination ofhard rubber or metal and sponge rubber. The air-valve (J in thisinstance is placed away from the center. When the cup is placed inposition and theV air withdrawn, the central portion E being` of spoingerubber and elastic, is forced down into the position shown by dottedlines in this figure, and thus holds the hernia securely in Vthe mostextreme cases.

The various forms shown are adapted for different extremes of hernia;but it will of course be understood that various other forms mightemanate from these without departing from the spirit of my invention.The exhaustbulb D, nozzle 8, and air-valve might also be altered inconstruction, or an air-pump might be substituted for the bulb D, andyet aceomplish the same end.

From this description it will be scen that the central portion or pad Emay be placed in the exact spot after properly reducing the hernia, andsecurely and permanently held there in the manner hereinbeforeset forthWithout the aid of any spring, belt, or other adjunct, and so perfectlythat the aperture will be completely closed up within the shortestpossible time. It Will also be seen that I consisting of a shallow cupwith alvalved opening from the interior of the cup, whereby the air maybe withdrawn from the interior, substantially as described. o

2. A shallow cup A, having a -lip B formed around the inner edge, and acentral portion or pad E, in combination with an air-valve C, arrangedsubstan tially as and for the purpose specified. y

3. A shallow cup A, having,` a lip B formed around the inner edge, and apad E, having a spring G connecting it to the interior of the cup, incombination Withan air-valve C, communicating with the interior of thecup, substantially as specified.

4. A shallow cup A, having a lip B formed around the inner edge, and apad E, having fa spring G, hollow spindle F, and hollow ball f,

with holes arranged with a socket to connectthe pad E to the cup andform a clear passage-way to the air-valve C, substantially as

